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TOPIC: propaganda

Russia

Why Crimea Is Proving So Hard For Russia To Defend

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on the occupied Crimean peninsula, claiming Monday that a missile Friday killed the head of Russia's Black Sea fleet at the headquarters in Sevastopol. And Russia is doing all within its power to deny how vulnerable it has become.

Russian authorities are making a concerted effort to downplay and even deny the recent missile strikes in Russia-occupied Crimea.

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Media coverage in Russia of these events has been intentionally subdued, with top military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov offering no response to an attack on Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, or the alleged downing last week of Russian Su-24 aircraft by Ukrainian Air Defense.

The response from this and other strikes on the Crimean peninsula and surrounding waters of the Black Sea has alternated between complete silence and propagating falsehoods. One notable example of the latter was the claim that the Russian headquarters building of the Black Sea fleet that was hit Friday was empty and that the multiple explosions were mere routine training exercises.

Ukraine claimed on Monday that the attack killed Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "After the strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored," the Ukrainian special forces said via Telegram on Monday.

Responding to reports of multiple missiles strikes this month on Crimea, Russian authorities say that all the missiles were intercepted by a submarine and a structure called "VDK Minsk", which itself was severely damaged following a Ukrainian airstrike on Sept. 13. The Russians likewise dismissed reports of a fire at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, attributing it to a mundane explosion caused by swamp gas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refrained from commenting on the military situation in Crimea and elsewhere, continuing to repeat that everything is “proceeding as planned.”

Why is Crimea such a touchy topic? And why is it proving to be so hard to defend?

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Don't Be Fooled By The Myth Of Venezuelan And Cuban Doctors

Like Cuba, Venezuela churns out doctors who are poorly trained and overworked. Colombia then lets them practice medicine in the country in yet another senseless gesture of political goodwill toward Venezuela.

-OpEd-

BOGOTÁ — Venezuela's self-styled Bolivarian Revolution is a big-old scam. A scam in every way that has hoodwinked everyone, friend and foe, workers and employers alike. Lying is the system's very backbone.

Like a sinister fairy tale, thousands of youngsters seeking opportunities have fallen for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's deceptive promises, and none more so than those lured into becoming one of the state's Integrated Community doctors (or MICs). They dreamed of a career in medicine, but all they have had is a big dose of indoctrination from a ruthless system that has trained them not as medics but as party militants.

I say this in response to reports on social media that Venezuelan community doctors might be allowed to work in Colombia. The Colombian College of Medicine has already warned of the risks of certifying medical degrees given by institutions controlled by the Maduro regime. Its recent statement declared that "the academic training — in theoretical, practical and technical terms — of the MICs is highly deficient and precarious, as their trajectories have not regrettably produced the high educational and professional standards required of a health sector professional."

What folks in Colombia might reasonably ask is, what is wrong with doctors trained by the Venezuelan state practicing medicine in their country? More doctors save more lives, right? There is a logic to that, but the warning given by the College of Medicine is much closer to facts on the ground.

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Denial And Dissent: On The Deeply Conflicted Psychology Of Russian Soldiers

The Ukraine war is not just physical — it's also being fought on a psychological front. Russian soldiers are subjected to complex psychological pressures at home and abroad.

-Analysis-

KYIV — Written messages have recently been found under car windshield wipers, in mailboxes, and on the doors of apartments of the families of Russian military recruits, known as Chmobyk. The messages carried phrases like: "You're the wife of a murderer, we all know!" or "You're the mother of a murderer, we all know."

These notes put substantial psychological pressure on the relatives of Russian soldiers who have been enduring months of unceasing battles.

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In the broader context, psychological warfare has emerged as a pivotal component within Ukraine's strategic arsenal. Within this context, there's a belief that a fighter, despite appearing as an individual, is shaped by moral, political, and psychological factors.

This perspective suggests that there might be instances of split personalities or confusion induced by political manipulation — the alignment of personal ideological and political beliefs, along with moral values, influences behavior and attitudes.

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Report: Russia's New National High School Exam To Include Ukraine War Justification

High school students will now need to know details of the Russian annexation of territories in eastern Ukraine and "reunification" of Crimea with Russia. Regular topics in the past, such as democracy and human rights, will no longer be part of the high school exam.

In a draft of a new Unified State Examination in Social Studies paper seen by independent Russian news site Agenstvo, graduating high school students must now demonstrate an understanding of the causes and consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union, but also how the Russian Federation has been “revived” as a leading world power, as well as the necessity both for Crimea’s “reunification” with Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Reuters confirmed the publication of four new history textbooks for schoolchildren aged 16-18. Among the co-authors was presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. These textbooks entirely reinterpreted the fall of the Soviet Union, the rule of President Vladimir Putin and added a chapter especially devoted to the causes of what is referred to as the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

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The newly published exam syllabus states that candidates must “be able to defend historical truth” and must “not allow the feat of the people in defending the Fatherland to be diminished.”

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Mykola Golubei

Mapaganda: How The World Falls For Russia's Bogus Maps — National Geographic And All

Though Russia's intentions to take over Ukraine on the ground have failed, they are winning in the field of cartography. Maps seen in respected books and periodicals around the world offer a distorted view of who has the right to territory — and who is the aggressor. A campaign is underway to change maps to change perception of reality.

-Analysis-

KYIV — Mapaganda is a particularly well-targeted form of propaganda used by Russia against Ukraine and other countries affected by its military aggression. Mapaganda is implemented by the influencing of cartographic companies and communities so that they print and publish the Russian view of the world in their products: school textbooks, world atlases, globes, car atlases, tourist products, electronic map services, etc.

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It’s a real shame, but dozens of international companies, including National Geographic, develop, print and widely distribute maps that contain Russian disinformation and the Russian view of the situation. For example, they designate Crimea as a part of Russia while "claimed by Ukraine." This creates the impression that Ukraine is the aggressor.

The lion’s share of educational products of bookstores in Germany, Austria and Switzerland depict Ukraine in different variations outside the 1991 borders. The situation is no better in other European states, in the UK and the U.S.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Piotr Głuchowski and Katarzyna Bielecka

"Ghostwriter" — Inside Russia’s Bespoke Propaganda Campaign In Poland

As a key regional member of NATO and neighbor of Ukraine, Poland is of particular interest to the Kremlin, and the usual misinformation weapons used by Russia also feature allusions to Jews and Americans — and may now include attempts to recruit Poles by the Wagner Group.

WARSAW — “Israel, a country of less than nine million, is surrounded by one hundred million enemies. Therefore, the search for a new promised land began. It was found: in Ukraine. Here, a thousand years ago, existed the state of the Khazars, where the official religion was rabbinical Judaism, and it is to these lands that the designers of the idea of Heavenly Jerusalem want to resettle Jews ... "

The above storyline comes from a video watched on YouTube by half a million Poles, which included more than 1,000 comments, supporting its message. "Now we finally know the real cause of the war”, one wrote.

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This is a peek inside the universe of Putinophiles and other sowers of Moscow's influence — exerted not on governments, but citizens and everyday Internet users in Poland.

From at least 2016 onward, the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU), has directed operation “Ghostwriter,” whose goals, according to the Polish Command of the Component of the Cyberspace Defense Forces, are “disrupting Poland’s relationship with the U.S. and NATO countries,” “disrupting Polish-Ukrainian relations,” “discrediting aid provided to Ukraine by Poland” and “creating conditions for the outbreak of social unrest in the Republic of Poland”.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Polina Uzhvak

Of Death And Disillusion: Tales Of Young Russians Lured By Glory To The Frontlines

Many Russians have tried to avoid being conscripted to join the war in Ukraine, but many others believed deeply in the constant campaign of state propaganda. Here are some of the stories of the lucky ones who made it back — and those who didn't.

For two years now, Russian citizens have been relentlessly encouraged to embrace a so-called "true man's profession" by joining the military and heading to the frontline as a simmering war in eastern Ukraine turned into a full-scale invasion. They were enticed with promises of handsome salaries, social security benefits for their families and the esteemed status of a hero.

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These men and women in uniform, along with their families, recount how they once placed unwavering faith in their government's call, only to be disillusioned and let down.

There was, for example, Andrey...

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Anatoly Bondarchuk

How Russian Mind-Control Tactics Prey On Ukrainians In Occupied Territories

Russia has occupied of parts of Ukraine for almost a decade, busy promoting a pro-Russian narrative in those territories. Moscow's aim is to ensure loyalty and deliberately create tensions among Ukrainians in free territories. It is a formula that has been

KYIV — For almost a year and a half now, Russia has been trying to defeat Ukraine both on the battlefield and in the information space. Special attention has been paid behind the front lines, where the Kremlin has been busy trying to widen the gap between Ukrainians who live in the “Temporarily Occupied Territories” (TOTs) and people living in the free territories of Ukraine.

Its strategy, on the one hand, is designed to undermine the trust of the TOT residents in Ukraine and weaken resistance to the occupation. On the other hand, it seeks to force the Ukrainian leadership and public to abandon the liberation of the occupied territories.

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The longer the war lasts, the higher the likelihood that people who live in the Russia-occupied territories will be ready to accept the status quo. People who have lived or are still living under occupation describe life following the February 24 full-scale invasion as follows: the destruction of infrastructure and residential buildings, terror, and repression against those who do not support the occupation.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
agents.media

Prigozhin And Coup-Related News Are Vanishing From Russian TV

After relatively in-depth coverage beginning last weekend, Russian state-owned TV channels have suddenly stopped reporting on the consequences of the Wagner mutiny.

The Wagner Group insurrection, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, continues to captivate the attention of Western and Russian independent media. The whereabouts of Prigozhin are being talked about, the status of top Russian general Sergey Surovikin is analyzed, after reports that he may have had prior knowledge of Wagner’s plans, and may even be under arrest.

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Earlier this week, the rebellion was also still getting plenty of attention on established Russian media, with coverage of Russian President Vladimir Putin's televised addresses on Saturday and Monday, where he expressed gratitude to the Russians for their “patriotism” after the Wagnerites aborted their march on Moscow.

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Geopolitics
Miguel Henrique Otero

Venezuela's New Trick For Killing Democracy: Make Official Statistics "Disappear"

The absence of accurate official statistics in Venezuela is no accident. Rather it is a symptom of the breakdown of the rule of law and hides the regime's criminal failures.

-OpEd-

BUENOS AIRES — Any web user consulting the website of Venezuela's INE or National Statistics Institute, as I last tried to do one day early last month, may find this is a waste of time. Our country stopped quantifying its population in 2011. Even the last census from that year, shown on the website, appears as a mass of words and stats that mean little to the general reader. There are no charts or diagrams to give an idea of trends or the bigger picture: just data used as "filling".

The webpage has a section for sectoral reports on consumer patterns, say, or the environment, but not beyond 2013 or 2014. Elsewhere, based on the 2011 census, INE estimates that Venezuela's population will reach 33,728,624 by June 30, without any mention of the seven million or more Venezuelans who have left since 2011. The number is likely rising by the day — not that it bothers the INE — which means there are no figures on how many of us are living inside and outside Venezuela.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Agents Media

Schoolchildren Depict Ukrainians Being Hanged in Kremlin-Funded Comic Book Contest

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government allocated some grant funding to various projects aimed at bolstering support for the war. One such initiative was a comic book contest, where some graphic artwork showed dead Ukrainian soldiers.

Graphic depictions of hangings and the killing of Ukrainians marked the endings of some comics created by Russian children during the "Heroes of Russian Victories" contest.

The aim of the contest was to portray the exploits of Russia's historical and contemporary heroes. The artworks saw depictions of the deeds of Soviet soldiers during World War II, but others focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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The Presidential Grants Foundation allocated nearly 3 million rubles ($37,000) to finance the project. The grant was awarded to My Choice, an organization with ties to the party of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is dedicated to guiding Russian youth in "patriotic education."

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Mykhailo Kriegel

Blue-Yellow Visions, Bioweapon Warnings: The Face Of Russian Paranoia

Today's Russia is similar to Stalin's USSR in more and more ways, including the constant search for enemies and the paranoia of betrayal. Some examples of this panic may be funny, but also help inform what Moscow might do next.

Some compare the regime of Vladimir Putin to the regime of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Sometimes the comparison holds, sometimes it doesn't. But one thing they share is a sense of social panic — and paranoia.

The nature of panic and paranoia often makes it ripe for jokes, though in the end there is little to laugh at in a totalitarian regime. We have gathered some recent signs of the paranoid state of Russian society.

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Take Olga Z., a resident of the Moscow neighborhood, who was taking the metro when a neighbor caught her eye. He wore a yellow jacket with a blue sweatshirt peeking out from underneath. She was also concerned that a man who was a lookalike of Ukrainian nationalist Dmytro Yarosh was sitting beside the suspicious citizen in yellow and blue. She immediately informed the police.

Then there's Svetlana Sharkova, a 60-year-old retiree from the village of Lashino near Moscow, who complained to the police that a local plant nursery was selling seedlings of the Ukrainian apple variety "Glory to the Victors."

Police in the central Russian city of Pyt-Yakh, are investigating a report from the local school principal that a student wore blue and yellow ribbons in her hair.

On a bus traveling from Dzhankoy to Sevastopol in Crimea, a retiree reported to police that he saw a passenger with a tattoo on his leg of Stepan Bandera, the noted World War II-era Ukrainian political lead. The tattoo turned out to be Irish actor Cillian Murphy in the role of Thomas Shelby, a character in the gangster series Peaky Blinders.

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